October 25, 2024, Philadelphia, PA 【CUS】- Pennsylvania Secretary of the Commonwealth Al Schmidt, together with the Philadelphia Election Commission, recently hosted CUS-Chinese in US, the only Chinese-language media outlet present, on a tour of the Philadelphia election headquarters. With Chinese now recognized as Pennsylvania’s third most-spoken language, ballots in the state are available in English, Spanish, and Chinese—a decision made following the 2020 Census to support the needs of Pennsylvania’s Chinese-speaking community and ensure full access to the voting process.
Secretary Schmidt emphasized Pennsylvania’s heightened security and accessibility in this election, assuring voters that information is readily available in multiple languages, including English, Spanish, and Chinese, across all counties to assist voters in understanding and exercising their rights.
Philadelphia Election Commission Chair Omar Sabir highlighted that all election materials are available in Chinese and that the Commission is actively recruiting bilingual volunteers for Election Day to enhance service to Chinese-speaking voters.
Vice Chair Lisa Deeley reminded voters that November 5 is Election Day and urged the community to vote. She also pointed out the October 29, 5:00 p.m. deadline for mail-in ballots and directed voters to vote.phila.gov for details on voting by mail or in person at satellite offices.
Commissioner Seth Bluestein explaining the thorough workflow designed to ensure accurate ballot counting. He pointed to each stage of the process—from verifying envelopes at one end to extracting ballots, flattening them for scanning, and finally, tabulating the results. He noted, “On Election Day, ballots move step-by-step through each phase, staying organized in batches until counted and stored securely.”
Bluestein also mentioned that Philadelphia has set up multiple satellite offices, including one at Mayfair Shopping Center in a heavily Chinese-speaking area, to allow early voting and reduce Election Day wait times.
The tour and briefing provided essential election insights to the Chinese American community, encouraging voter participation and fostering confidence in the process.
Notably, Stephanie Reid, former Executive Director of Philly Counts, also assisted with our tour. CUS-Chinese in US collaborated closely with Reid during the 2020 Census to engage the Chinese-speaking community in census participation, which ultimately contributed to making Chinese one of the official ballot languages in Pennsylvania. We extend our sincere thanks for her support.
CUS-Chinese in US remains committed to delivering firsthand election coverage to the Chinese-speaking community, reinforcing our longstanding dedication to reporting on government affairs and promoting civic engagement in the democratic process.
